Wang Yongzhu looked at Ninth Master Lee with a confused face, hesitated for a moment, and then tentatively asked, "Could it be that you don’t cooperate with people who are married?"
She had heard of racial discrimination, class discrimination, but this was the first time she had encountered discrimination against married people by singles; it was quite an eye-opener.
As soon as Shopkeeper Wu heard what Ninth Master Lee had said, he knew things were going to be bad.
Seeing Wang Yongzhu looking over, he quickly said, "No, no! That’s absolutely not what we meant! It’s just that our Ninth Young Master was so surprised to see you, his great-niece, still so young! After all, it’s rare for women in the Capital City to marry so early—"
He said this while wiping sweat from his forehead, giving Ninth Master Lee a meaningful look.
Ninth Master Lee was initially greatly shocked, but, having been a man of the world, he quickly masked his feelings, apologizing with a remorseful face, "I apologize for my excessive surprise; now I should address you as Lady Wang—"
In those times, a married woman could be addressed by her husband’s surname, or she could continue to use her maiden surname and be referred to by the term ’Lady’.
In commoner families, as the woman aged, her title would change from ’Lady’ to the more elderly term ’Dame’.
In more sophisticated urban households, and among those with official ranks bestowed by the emperor, they would be referred to as ’Madam’ or ’Lady’. As they grew older, the titles would evolve to ’Old Madam’ or ’Old Lady’.
Wang Yongzhu was now simply a Scholar’s Lady, so being addressed as ’Lady’ was naturally most fitting.
Therefore, she nodded her head gracefully, "No harm done; as long as you do not refuse to engage in business because I am a married woman, it is fine."
Ninth Master Lee’s face was calm, but inside he felt an awkward and indescribable sense of suffocation, as if something that belonged to him had been taken away.
Perhaps it was something he had not cared much about before, but just as he started to appreciate it, it had become someone else’s.
This sentiment was particularly irksome and uncomfortable for Ninth Master Lee, who had always been possessive, not wishing others to touch what was his.
He wanted to erupt in anger, but knew he had no logical grounds; after all, the idea of taking Wang Yongzhu as a concubine was something he himself had rejected. Who could he blame?
Shopkeeper Wu wished he could vanish on the spot. He knew the ideas his master had entertained before, and even though he was the one to propose the idea that might now be inappropriate, he had specifically mentioned that Wang Yongzhu was betrothed.
Of course, if the Lee Family had truly taken a liking to Wang Yongzhu, they could probably find a way to bring her back to their household, even if she were on the verge of marriage.
But it was Ninth Master Lee himself who had refused, hence nothing had come of it.
Now it seemed Ninth Master Lee had developed an interest in Wang Yongzhu after seeing her and becoming aware of her acumen and capabilities.
Unexpectedly, Wang Yongzhu was already married!
Shopkeeper Wu felt a sense of relief; emotionally, he naturally hoped that Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin would become a loving couple destined to be together, living out their happily-ever-after as a handsome man and a beautiful woman.
From a broader business interest perspective, should Wang Yongzhu truly marry into the Lee Family, with her skills and the dye formulas she possessed, she would likely oversee the Auspicious Dye Workshop instead of him.
Therefore, even though Shopkeeper Wu felt almost suffocated by the low pressure emanating from Ninth Young Master, he bravely steeled himself to speak up, "Speaking of which, before you got married, Lady Wang, I mentioned that I wanted to give you a generous gift. Although you are already married, the gift should still be given. Ninth Young Master, wouldn’t you agree?"
Ninth Master Lee’s face immediately darkened; the woman he had just taken an interest in was now someone else’s, and he was expected to give a gift?
Since when had Lee Changnan ever suffered such a silent loss?
Yet when he looked at Wang Yongzhu’s face again, all the resentment and anger inside him melted away like ice and snow, and he gave a muted nod, "This is a joyous occasion. Now that I am aware of it, I cannot come empty-handed. Then, let this be my wedding gift to Lady Wang—"
Having said that, he casually took off the jade pendant he had paired with his outfit that morning from his waist and placed it on the table.
The Lee family was extremely wealthy, and he was especially favored; everything he wore was of the utmost delicacy and value.
This double-fish jade pendant, carved from mutton fat white jade, was smooth and buttery, one of his beloved treasures that he often played with.
It was something he had specifically picked out early in the morning to wear on his waist.
Wang Yongzhu was certainly not someone who couldn’t recognize the good stuff, and besides, the jade was truly exquisite—rare in any era.
She hastily refused, "Without merit, I do not accept rewards; I dare not accept such a valuable gift from Ninth Young Master. We appreciate your kindness, but please take back your gift!"
Ninth Master Lee had given it away in a moment of rashness and immediately regretted it afterward.
However, upon hearing Wang Yongzhu’s refusal, that regret instantly vanished, his mind now consumed with the thought, "She actually looks down on the gift I offered?"
"It’s just a jade pendant. Nothing I, Ninth Master Lee, have given away has ever been taken back! If you don’t want it, just throw it away!" Having said that, and fearful Wang Yongzhu might have second thoughts, he stormed out with a swish of his sleeves and a huff.
Wang Yongzhu and Shopkeeper Wu were left looking at each other, nonplussed.
After a long while, Wang Yongzhu said, "This jade pendant is truly too valuable. Please hand it back to Ninth Young Master! Tell him that my husband and I thank him for his kindness, but we are currently in mourning and it is not appropriate to accept such gifts! Once the mourning period is over, we will certainly invite Ninth Young Master and Shopkeeper Wu over!"
Shopkeeper Wu readily agreed.
The jade pendant might not have been a big deal to Ninth Young Master, but he knew, this was a unique pendant belonging to the male descendants of the Lee family.
It was said that the Lee family ancestor once acquired an excellent piece of mutton fat white jade, which he cherished like a precious treasure. It was also because of this jade that the family’s business gradually prospered.
Convinced that the mutton fat white jade had brought them good luck, the ancestor had it carved into a jade mountain, and the remaining material was used to create various jade pendants and hairpins for his descendants to wear.
From that point forward, it became an unwritten rule of the Lee family that each male descendant would be given a jade pendant carved from the finest mutton fat white jade, to bless them with a life of wealth and carefree living.
If this jade pendant was truly given away and brought back to the Lee family, Ninth Master Lee would, at most, be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall for two days. But for him, an old man, it would mean the end of him.
So he carefully wrapped the jade pendant and tucked it into his chest before discussing serious matters, "We will proceed with the handover of the dye workshop shortly. I’ve already had someone send a message to Shiqiao Town yesterday to have a few shop assistants brought over."
"Once the shop assistants arrive, we will reopen the dye workshop and resume dyeing the fabrics! We will make sure to have the goods ready for shipment by the end of the month."
Wang Yongzhu naturally had no objections; the sooner the business was settled, the sooner she could lay her hands on the silver.
Without hesitation, she agreed right away.
Since there were no objections, Shopkeeper Wu immediately ordered someone to prepare the horse carriage to head to Riches Dye Workshop.
Ninth Young Master Lee, who had stormed out in a huff, upon hearing they were going to the dye workshop, climbed onto the carriage as if nothing had happened.
Fortunately, the carriage was quite spacious and very comfortable inside, with plenty of room for three people.
Shopkeeper Wu and Ninth Master Lee sat on one side, while Wang Yongzhu sat on the other, separated by the distance of a table, conveniently avoiding any awkwardness or discomfort.